Bearing assemblies and apparatuses including superhard bearing elements

ABSTRACT

A bearing assembly includes a support ring, a plurality of bearing-element carrier members coupled to the support ring, and a plurality of superhard bearing elements having a lateral periphery extending between a base and a superhard bearing surface. At least one superhard bearing element of the plurality of superhard bearing elements is attached to each of the plurality of bearing-element carrier members. A bearing apparatus includes a rotor, a stator, and a bearing assembly. A method for assembling a bearing assembly includes attaching at least one superhard bearing element to each of a plurality of bearing-element carrier members and coupling the plurality of bearing-element carrier members to a support ring.

BACKGROUND

Thrust and radial bearing apparatuses are commonly used in a variety ofmechanical applications. For example, subterranean drilling systems,turbomachinery, hydroelectric plants, wind mills, cranes, turbinegenerators, and power plant machinery may utilize bearing assemblies.

Wear-resistant, superhard materials are commonly utilized in varioustypes of bearing assemblies. Conventional superhard materials have foundutility as bearing elements, including bearing elements utilized inthrust bearing and radial bearing assemblies. A conventionalpolycrystalline diamond compact (“PDC”) thrust-bearing assembly mayinclude a steel rotor or stator bearing rings configured to accept anumber of superhard bearing elements. The superhard bearing elements maybe made from a polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) layer formed on acemented tungsten carbide substrate.

One or more superhard bearing elements may be attached to a bearingrotor or stator by press-fitting, brazing, or through other suitablemethods of attachment. Typically, bearing elements attached to a bearingrotor have superhard faces configured and oriented to contactcorresponding superhard faces of bearing elements attached to anadjacent bearing stator.

Brazing the superhard bearing elements into the support ring may involvehigh temperatures that can damage (e.g., graphitize) the polycrystallinediamond of PCD bearing elements and may cause the bearing ring to warp.As the size of the bearing ring increases, the warping effect of thebrazing process on the bearing ring may also increase, making very largebearing apparatuses difficult and costly to manufacture. Additionally,components of traditional bearing assemblies may be very costly anddifficult to repair or replace. A worn or broken bearing ring musttypically be entirely removed and replaced or sent to a separatefacility for repair. If on-site repairs are an option, they are oftendifficult and costly; the difficulty and cost associated with suchrepairs is magnified as the size of the bearing apparatus increases.

SUMMARY

The instant disclosure is directed to exemplary bearing assembliessystems, bearing apparatuses, and methods for assembling a bearingassembly. According to at least one embodiment, a bearing assembly maycomprise a support ring, a plurality of bearing-element carrier memberscoupled to the support ring, and a plurality of superhard bearingelements each having a lateral periphery extending between a base and asuperhard bearing surface. At least one superhard bearing element of theplurality of superhard bearing elements may be attached to each of theplurality of bearing-element carrier members.

According to various embodiments, the plurality of bearing-elementcarrier members may be mechanically fastened to the support ring. Forexample, the bearing assembly may include a plurality of fasteners thatmechanically fasten the plurality of bearing-element carrier members tothe support ring, such as fasteners that extend through openings definedin the bearing-element carrier members. According to some embodiments,the plurality of bearing-element carrier members may be bonded to thesupport ring.

The plurality of bearing-element carrier members may be distributedcircumferentially about a central axis. In some embodiments, theplurality of bearing-element carrier members may be coupled to a supportsurface of the support ring. The support surface of the support ring mayface parallel to the central axis or may be oriented either radiallyinward or outward relative to the central axis. Each of the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members may abut an adjacent one of theplurality of bearing-element carrier members. The support ring maycomprise a continuous ring. The at least one superhard bearing elementmay comprise a polycrystalline diamond table. For example, the at leastone superhard bearing element may comprise a polycrystalline diamondtable that is bonded to a substrate. The polycrystalline diamond tablemay be at least partially leached.

According to various embodiments, a bearing apparatus may comprise arotor and a stator. At least one of the rotor and the stator may includea support ring, a plurality of bearing-element carrier members coupledto the support ring, and a plurality of superhard bearing elements eachhaving a lateral periphery extending between a base and a superhardbearing surface. At least one superhard bearing element of the pluralityof superhard bearing elements may be attached to each of the pluralityof bearing-element carrier members. The bearing apparatus may comprise athrust-bearing apparatus or a radial bearing apparatus.

In some embodiments, a method for assembling a bearing assembly maycomprise attaching at least one superhard bearing element to each of aplurality of bearing-element carrier members and coupling the pluralityof bearing-element carrier members to a support ring. The method mayfurther comprise replacing at least one of the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members by removing the at least onebearing-element carrier member and coupling a replacementbearing-element carrier member to the support ring. Attaching the atleast one superhard bearing element to each of the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members may comprise brazing the at least onesuperhard bearing element to each of the plurality of bearing-elementcarrier members.

Features from any of the above-mentioned embodiments may be used incombination with one another in accordance with the general principlesdescribed herein. These and other embodiments, features, and advantageswill be more fully understood upon reading the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of exemplary embodimentsand are a part of the specification. Together with the followingdescription, these drawings demonstrate and explain various principlesof the instant disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a thrust-bearing assembly according toat least one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the thrust-bearing assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the thrust bearingassembly shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded cut-away view of a portion of the thrust-bearingassembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary superhard bearing elementincluding a substrate and a superhard table according to at least oneembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the exemplary superhard bearingelement shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a thrust-bearing assembly according to at leastone embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a bearing element carrier comprisingpart of the thrust-bearing assembly shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a thrust-bearing assembly according toat least one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the thrust-bearing assembly shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a thrust-bearing assembly according toat least one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a thrust-bearing assembly according toat least one embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the thrust-bearingassembly shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a thrust-bearing assembly according toat least one embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an outer ring of a radial-bearingassembly according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an outer ring and an inner ring of aradial-bearing assembly according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a thrust-bearing apparatus according toat least one embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a partial cut-away perspective view of an exemplarysubterranean drilling system according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for assembling abearing assembly according to at least one embodiment.

Throughout the drawings, identical reference characters and descriptionsindicate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. While theexemplary embodiments described herein are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have beenshown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detailherein. However, the exemplary embodiments described herein are notintended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, theinstant disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The instant disclosure is directed to exemplary bearing assemblies andbearing apparatuses including superhard bearing elements. These bearingapparatuses may include radial bearings, thrust bearings, and otherbearing apparatuses without limitation. Such bearing apparatuses may beused in a variety of applications, including subterranean drillingsystems, directional drilling systems, turbine generators, wind mills,cranes, very large machinery and any other suitable applications,without limitation.

The terms “superabrasive” and “superhard,” as used herein, may refer toany material having a hardness that is at least equal to a hardness oftungsten carbide. For example, a superhard article may represent anarticle of manufacture, at least a portion of which may exhibit ahardness that is equal to or greater than the hardness of tungstencarbide.

FIG. 1-4 illustrate an exemplary thrust-bearing assembly 10 according toat least one embodiment. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, thrust-bearingassembly 10 may comprise a plurality of bearing-element carrier members24 coupled to a support ring 20. Both support ring 20 andbearing-element carrier members 24 are arranged circumferentially arounda central axis 12 along which a thrust force may be generally directedduring use. Central axis 12 may also comprise a rotational axis aboutwhich a portion of a bearing apparatus that includes thrust-bearingassembly 10 rotates. Thrust-bearing assembly 10 may include an aperture14 configured to receive a shaft (e.g., a motor shaft). Aperture 14 maybe generally centered about central axis 12.

The plurality of bearing-element carrier members 24 may be attached to asupport surface 86 of support ring 20 by mechanical fastening, bybonding, by frictional engagement, by threaded attachment, and/or in anyother suitable manner of attachment, without limitation. For example,the bearing-element carrier members 24 may be attached to support ring20 by a plurality of fasteners (see fasteners 44 illustrated in FIG. 4)extending through fastener holes 28 defined in bearing-element carriermembers 24 to support ring 20. In some embodiments, fasteners may extendthrough holes defined in support ring 20 and at least partially intocorresponding holes defined in bearing-element carrier members 24.According to certain embodiments, bearing-element carrier members 24 maybe bonded to support ring 20 through brazing, welding, adhesive bonding,and/or any other suitable bonding technique. Support ring 20 may includean outer peripheral surface 21 and an inner surface 22 that isconfigured to receive a shaft. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, eachbearing-element carrier member 24 may contain multiple superhard bearingelements 30.

Each bearing-element carrier member 24 coupled to support ring 20 mayhave a mounting surface 88, an inner surface 82, an outer surface 80, atop surface 90 and side surfaces 84. When connected to support ring 20,the mounting surface 88 of each bearing-element carrier member 24 mayabut a support surface 86 of support ring 20. Side surfaces 84 ofbearing-element carrier members 24 may each abut a side surface 84 of anadjacent bearing-element carrier member 24. In some embodiments, a gapmay be defined between side surfaces 84 of circumferentially adjacentbearing-element carrier members 24. Inner surface 82 and outer surface80 of each bearing-element carrier member 24 may have any suitableshape, including, for example, a partial-toroidal shape generallymatching the partial-toroidal shapes of inner surface 22 and/or outerperipheral surface 21 of the portion of support ring 20 where theparticular bearing-element carrier member 24 is positioned.

Any suitable number of bearing-element carrier members 24 may bedisposed about central axis 12. For example, FIGS. 1 and 2 show fourbearing-element carrier members 24 positioned about central axis 12,each of the four bearing-element carrier members having substantiallythe same size and shape and holding the same number of superhard bearingelements 30. According to additional embodiments, thrust-bearingassembly 10 may comprise any other suitable number of bearing-elementcarrier members 24. Bearing-element carrier members 24 may also beformed to any other suitable shape and size and may be configured tohold any other suitable number of superhard bearing elements 30, withoutlimitation. In certain embodiments, at least some of the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members 24 forming thrust-bearing assembly 10may comprise different shapes and/or sizes and/or may be configured tohold different numbers of superhard bearing elements 30.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of thrust-bearing assembly 10.According to the illustrated embodiment, each bearing-element carriermember 24 may be configured to receive multiple superhard bearingelements 30 that may each be attached within a correspondingbearing-element recess 42 defined in bearing-element carrier member 24.Each superhard bearing element 30 may be disposed within thecorresponding bearing-element recess 42 such that a base 40 of thesuperhard bearing element 30 is in at least partial contact with abottom of the bearing-element recess 42. Each superhard bearing element30 may be disposed within the corresponding bearing-element recess 42 sothat a substrate 38 of the superhard bearing element 30 is surrounded bythe bearing-element recess 42. Each superhard bearing element 30 may beoriented such that a superhard table 36 of the superhard bearing element30 extends at least partially past top surface 90 of bearing-elementcarrier member 24 outside of the bearing-element recess 42. Eachsuperhard bearing element 30 may be fixedly secured within thecorresponding bearing-element recess 42 of a bearing-element carriermember 24 through brazing, press-fitting, threaded attachment, pinattachment, bonding, frictional engagement, and/or by any other suitableattachment technique, without limitation.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded cut-away view of a portion of the exemplarythrust-bearing bearing assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3. As illustrated inFIG. 4, bearing-element carrier member 24 may be mounted and/or coupledto support surface 86 of support ring 20 by a plurality of fasteners 44.Superhard bearing elements 30 may be fixedly secured withinbearing-element recesses 42 defined in bearing-element carrier member24. Bearing-element carrier member 24, which includes bearing elements30 attached therein, may be attached to support surface 86 of supportring 20. Bearing-element carrier member 24 may be attached and securedto support ring 20 by, for example, a plurality of fasteners 44 thatextend through fastener holes 28 defined within bearing-element carriermember 24 and that further extend into fastener holes 29 defined insupport ring 20. According to some embodiments, fasteners 44 (e.g.,screws, rivets, pins, or bolts) may be affixed, bonded, or otherwiseattached to support ring 20 (e.g., each fastener may have a threadedperipheral surface that engages a corresponding threaded surfacedefining at least a portion of fastener hole 29). Fasteners 44 may alsobe secured within fastener holes 28 and/or fastener holes 29 by anyother suitable technique (e.g., rivets, pins, etc). For example,fasteners 44 may be secured within fastener holes 28 and/or fastenersholes 29 by frictional engagement (e.g., interference fitting), threadedattachment, brazing, bonding, or a combination of the above, withoutlimitation.

Such a configuration may allow for faster and/or more efficientreplacement of worn or damaged bearing parts, such as bearing-elementcarrier members 24 and/or superhard bearing elements 30 contained inbearing-element carrier members 24. For example, replacement of worn ordamaged superhard bearing elements 30 and bearing-element carriermembers 24 may be accomplished without disassembling the entire thrustbearing assembly 10. Such a configuration may also make it unnecessaryto provide an entirely new bearing assembly to replace a worn or damagedpart. Additionally, repair and replacement of portions of thrust-bearingassembly 10 may be accomplished on-site, thereby obviating the need tosend entire rotors, stators, or bearing assemblies to a repair locationfor various repairs.

In some embodiments, bearing-element carrier members 24 may be mountedand/or coupled to a support ring 20 following attachment of superhardbearing elements 30 to bearing-element carrier members 24. By attachingsuperhard bearing elements 30 to individual bearing-element carriermembers 24 prior to coupling bearing-element carrier members 24 tosupport ring 20, a risk of thermal warping of thrust-bearing assembly 10during brazing of superhard bearing elements 30 to bearing-elementcarrier members 24 may be reduced or prevented. Further, bearing-elementcarrier members 24 may enable generally larger thrust-bearing assemblies10 to be manufactured since the size of thrust-bearing assembly 10 maynot limited due warping defects during manufacturing and/or by the sizeof conventional brazing apparatuses. As such, manufacturing ofthrust-bearing assembly 10 comprising bearing-element carrier members 24may enable production of relatively larger and/or more versatile bearingassemblies that are useful in various applications, includinglarge-scale machinery applications.

Support ring 20 and bearing-element carrier members 24 may be made froma variety of different materials. For example, support ring 20 and/orbearing-element carrier members 24 may comprise a metallic material(e.g., carbon steel, tungsten or tungsten alloys, aluminum or aluminumalloys, or stainless steel, etc.), a carbide material (e.g., tungstencarbide, silicon carbide, etc.), or another suitable material. In someembodiments, the bearing-element carrier members may be made of amaterial with relatively high thermal conductivity (e.g., tungstencarbide or cobalt-cemented tungsten carbide) and the superhard bearingelements 30 may abut or contact the bearing-element carrier members 24over a substantial surface area of the superhard bearing element 30 inorder to promote heat transfer from the superhard bearing element 30 tothe bearing-element carrier member 24.

In some embodiments, support ring 20 and/or bearing-element carriermembers 24 may include an erosion-resistant and/or abrasion-resistantcoating applied thereto. For example, an erosion-resistant and abrasionresistant coating may include a coating including, for example, aurethane rubber or other suitable coating, without limitation. In otherembodiments, a hardfacing coating (e.g., tungsten carbide hardfacing)may be applied to support ring 20 and/or bearing-element carrier members24 by any suitable method, including, without limitation, flamespraying, welding HVOF (high velocity oxy-fuel coating spraying), and/orlaser cladding.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an exemplary superhard bearing element 30according to at least one embodiment. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6,superhard bearing element 30 may comprise a superhard table 36 affixedto or formed upon a substrate 38. Superhard table 36 may be affixed tosubstrate 38 at interface 43. Superhard bearing element 30 may comprisea rear surface 40, a superhard face 34, and an element side surface 46.In some embodiments, element side surface 46 may include a substrateside surface 48 formed by substrate 38 and a superhard side surface 45formed by superhard table 36. Rear surface 40 may be formed by substrate38.

Superhard bearing element 30 may also comprise a superhard face 34 andan edge 50 at the intersection of superhard side surface 45 andsuperhard face 34. Edge 50 may comprise an angular and/or rounded edgeformed at the intersection of superhard side surface 45 and superhardface 34. In some embodiments, a chamfer 51 (i.e., sloped or angled asshown in FIG. 6) may be formed by superhard table 36 at the intersectionof superhard side surface 45 and superhard face 34. Any other suitablesurface shape may also be formed at the intersection of superhard sidesurface 45 and superhard face 34, including, without limitation, anarcuate surface (e.g., a radius, an ovoid shape, or any other roundedshape), a sharp edge, multiple chamfers/radii, a honed edge, and/orcombinations of the foregoing.

Superhard bearing element 30 may comprise any suitable size, shape,and/or geometry, without limitation. According to at least oneembodiment, at least a portion of superhard bearing element 30 may havea substantially cylindrical shape. For example, superhard bearingelement 30 may comprise a substantially cylindrical outer surfacesurrounding a central axis 32 extending through superhard bearingelement 30, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. For example, substrate sidesurface 48 and superhard side surface 45 may be substantiallycylindrical and may have any suitable diameters relative to central axis32, without limitation. According to various embodiments, substrate sidesurface 48 and superhard side surface 45 may have substantially the sameouter diameter relative to central axis 32. In addition, although thesuperhard bearing surface 34 is shown as being generally planar, in someembodiments, the superhard bearing surface 34 may be convex or concave.

Substrate 38 may comprise any suitable material on which superhard table36 may be formed. In at least one embodiment, substrate 38 may comprisea cemented carbide material, such as a cobalt-cemented tungsten carbidematerial and/or any other suitable material. In some embodiments,substrate 38 may include a suitable metal-solvent catalyst material,such as, for example, cobalt, nickel, iron, and/or alloys thereof.Substrate 38 may also include any suitable material including, withoutlimitation, cemented carbides such as titanium carbide, niobium carbide,tantalum carbide, vanadium carbide, chromium carbide, and/orcombinations of any of the preceding carbides cemented with iron,nickel, cobalt, and/or alloys thereof. Superhard table 36 may be formedof any suitable superabrasive and/or superhard material or combinationof materials, including, for example PCD. According to additionalembodiments, superhard table 36 may comprise cubic boron nitride,silicon carbide, polycrystalline diamond, and/or mixtures or compositesincluding one or more of the foregoing materials, without limitation.

Superhard table 36 may be formed using any suitable technique. Accordingto some embodiments, superhard table 36 may comprise a PCD tablefabricated by subjecting a plurality of diamond particles to an HPHTsintering process in the presence of a metal-solvent catalyst (e.g.,cobalt, nickel, iron, or alloys thereof) to facilitate intergrowthbetween the diamond particles and form a PCD body comprised of bondeddiamond grains that exhibit diamond-to-diamond bonding therebetween. Forexample, the metal-solvent catalyst may be mixed with the diamondparticles, infiltrated from a metal-solvent catalyst foil or powderadjacent to the diamond particles, infiltrated from a metal-solventcatalyst present in a cemented carbide substrate, or combinations of theforegoing. The bonded diamond grains (e.g., sp3-bonded diamond grains),so-formed by HPHT sintering the diamond particles, define interstitialregions with the metal-solvent catalyst disposed within the interstitialregions of the as-sintered PCD body. The diamond particles may exhibit aselected diamond particle size distribution.

Following sintering, various materials, such as a metal-solventcatalyst, remaining in interstitial regions within the as-sintered PCDbody may reduce the thermal stability of superhard table 36 at elevatedtemperatures. In some examples, differences in thermal expansioncoefficients between diamond grains in the as-sintered PCD body and ametal-solvent catalyst in interstitial regions between the diamondgrains may weaken portions of superhard table 36 that are exposed toelevated temperatures, such as temperatures developed during bearingoperation. The weakened portions of superhard table 36 may becomeexcessively worn and/or damaged during bearing operation.

Removing the metal-solvent catalyst and/or other materials from theas-sintered PCD body may improve the heat resistance and/or thermalstability of superhard table 36, particularly in situations where thePCD material may be exposed to elevated temperatures. A metal-solventcatalyst and/or other materials may be removed from the as-sintered PCDbody using any suitable technique, including, for example, leaching. Inat least one embodiment, a metal-solvent catalyst, such as cobalt, maybe removed from regions of the as-sintered PCD body, such as regionsadjacent to the working surfaces of superhard table 36. Removing ametal-solvent catalyst from the as-sintered PCD body may reduce damageto the PCD material of superhard table 36 caused by expansion of themetal-solvent catalyst.

At least a portion of a metal-solvent catalyst, such as cobalt, as wellas other materials, may be removed from at least a portion of theas-sintered PCD body using any suitable technique, without limitation.For example, chemical and/or gaseous leaching may be used to remove ametal-solvent catalyst from the as-sintered PCD body up to a desireddepth from a surface thereof. The as-sintered PCD body may be leached byimmersion in an acid, such as aqua regia, nitric acid, hydrofluoricacid, or subjected to another suitable process to remove at least aportion of the metal-solvent catalyst from the interstitial regions ofthe PCD body and form superhard table 36 comprising a PCD table. Forexample, the as-sintered PCD body may be immersed in or exposed to theacid for about 2 to about 7 days (e.g., about 3, 5, or 7 days) or for afew weeks (e.g., about 4 weeks) depending on the process employed.

Even after leaching, a residual, detectable amount of the metal-solventcatalyst may be present in the at least partially leached superhardtable 36. It is noted that when the metal-solvent catalyst isinfiltrated into the diamond particles from a cemented tungsten carbidesubstrate including tungsten carbide particles cemented with ametal-solvent catalyst (e.g., cobalt, nickel, iron, or alloys thereof),the infiltrated metal-solvent catalyst may carry tungsten and/ortungsten carbide therewith and the as-sintered PCD body may include suchtungsten and/or tungsten carbide therein disposed interstitially betweenthe bonded diamond grains. The tungsten and/or tungsten carbide may beat least partially removed by the selected leaching process or may berelatively unaffected by the selected leaching process.

In some embodiments, only selected portions of the as-sintered PCD bodymay be leached, leaving remaining portions of resulting superhard table36 unleached. For example, some portions of one or more surfaces of theas-sintered PCD body may be masked or otherwise protected from exposureto a leaching solution and/or gas mixture while other portions of one ormore surfaces of the as-sintered PCD body may be exposed to the leachingsolution and/or gas mixture. Other suitable techniques may be used forremoving a metal-solvent catalyst and/or other materials from theas-sintered PCD body or may be used to accelerate a chemical leachingprocess. For example, exposing the as-sintered PCD body to heat,pressure, electric current, microwave radiation, and/or ultrasound maybe employed to leach or to accelerate a chemical leaching process,without limitation. Following leaching, superhard table 36 may comprisea volume of PCD material that is substantially free of a metal-solventcatalyst.

The plurality of diamond particles used to form superhard table 36comprising the PCD material may exhibit one or more selected sizes. Theone or more selected sizes may be determined, for example, by passingthe diamond particles through one or more sizing sieves or by any othermethod. In an embodiment, the plurality of diamond particles may includea relatively larger size and at least one relatively smaller size. Asused herein, the phrases “relatively larger” and “relatively smaller”refer to particle sizes determined by any suitable method, which differby at least a factor of two (e.g., 40 μm and 20 μm). More particularly,in various embodiments, the plurality of diamond particles may include aportion exhibiting a relatively larger size (e.g., 100 μm, 90 μm, 80 μm,70 μm, 60 μm, 50 μm, 40 μm, 30 μm, 20 μm, 15 μm, 12 μm, 10 μm, 8 μm) andanother portion exhibiting at least one relatively smaller size (e.g.,30 μm, 20 μm, 15 μm, 12 μm, 10 μm, 8 μm, 4 μm, 2 μm, 1 μm, 0.5 μm, lessthan 0.5 μm, 0.1 μm, less than 0.1 μm). In another embodiment, theplurality of diamond particles may include a portion exhibiting arelatively larger size between about 40 μm and about 15 μm and anotherportion exhibiting a relatively smaller size between about 12 μm and 2μm. Of course, the plurality of diamond particles may also include threeor more different sizes (e.g., one relatively larger size and two ormore relatively smaller sizes) without limitation.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a thrust-bearing assembly 110 according tovarious embodiments. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, thrust-bearingassembly 110 may include two bearing-element carrier members 124.Thrust-bearing assembly 110 may comprise any suitable shape orconfiguration, such as, for example a semi-circular or partial-circularperiphery. Thrust-bearing assembly 110 may include an aperture 114configured to receive a shaft (e.g., a motor shaft). Eachbearing-element carrier member 124 may be configured to hold a pluralityof super hard bearing elements 30, each having a superhard bearingsurface 34.

Each bearing-element carrier member 124 may have a mounting surface 188,an inner surface 182, an outer surface 180, a top surface 190, and sidesurfaces 184. Bearing-element carrier members 124 may be mounted and/orcoupled to a support ring (e.g., support ring 20 illustrated in FIG. 1)at mounting surfaces 188. The side surfaces 184 of bearing-elementcarrier members 124 may each abut a side surface 184 of an adjacentbearing-element carrier member 124. Each of inner surface 182 and outersurface 180 of each bearing-element carrier member 124 may have anysuitable shape, including, for example, a half-toroidal orpartial-toroidal shape that generally matches contours of an adjacentinner surface portion and/or outer peripheral surface portion of asupport ring to which the particular bearing-element carrier member 124is attached. Additionally, each bearing-element carrier member 124 maybe attached to a support ring by fasteners (e.g., screws, rivets, pins,or bolts) extending through holes 128, and/or by any other suitablemanner of attachment (e.g., welding, mechanically capturing, brazing,etc.), without limitation.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a thrust-bearing assembly 210 according tovarious embodiments. As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, thrust-bearingassembly 210 may comprise a single ring-shaped bearing-element carriermember 224 having an aperture 214 configured to receive a shaft (e.g., amotor shaft). Bearing element carrier member 224 may be configured tohold a plurality of superhard bearing elements 30 spacedcircumferentially around central axis 212.

Bearing-element carrier member 224 may have a mounting surface 288, aninner surface 282, an outer surface 280, and a top surface 290.Bearing-element carrier member 224 may be mounted and/or coupled to asupport ring 220 at mounting surface 288. According to at least oneembodiment, each of inner surface 282 and outer surface 280 ofbearing-element carrier member 224 may have a cylindrical shape thatgenerally matches contours of an adjacent inner surface portion and/orouter peripheral surface portion of support ring 220. Bearing-elementcarrier member 224 may be attached to support ring 220 by fasteners(e.g., screws, rivets, pins, or bolts) extending through holes 228,and/or by any other suitable manner of attachment (e.g., welding,mechanically capturing, brazing, etc.), without limitation.

FIG. 11 shows a thrust-bearing assembly 310 according to someembodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 11 thrust-bearing assembly 310 mayinclude a plurality of bearing-element carrier members 324.Thrust-bearing assembly 310 may include an aperture 314 configured toreceive a shaft (e.g., a motor shaft). Each bearing-element carriermember 324 may be configured to hold at least one superhard bearingelement 30 having a superhard bearing surface 34. For example, as shownin FIG. 11, a single bearing element 30 may be attached to eachbearing-element carrier member 324.

Each bearing-element carrier member 324 may have a mounting surface 388,an inner surface 382, an outer surface 380, a top surface 390, and sidesurfaces 384. Mounting surfaces 388 of bearing-element carrier members324 may be mounted and/or coupled to a support surface 386 of a supportring 320. Support ring 320 and the bearing-element carrier members 324may be arranged circumferentially around a central axis 312. The sidesurfaces 384 of bearing-element carrier members 324 may each abut a sidesurface 384 of an adjacent bearing-element carrier member 324. Each ofinner surface 382 and outer surface 380 of each bearing-element carriermember 324 may have any suitable shape, including, for example, apartial-toroidal shape that generally matches contours of an adjacentinner surface portion and/or outer peripheral surface portion of supportring 320. Additionally, each bearing-element carrier member 324 may beattached to support ring 320 by fasteners (e.g., screws, rivets, pins,or bolts) extending through holes 328, and/or by any other suitablemanner of attachment (e.g., welding, mechanically capturing, brazing,etc.), without limitation.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a thrust-bearing assembly 410 according tosome embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 12, thrust-bearing assembly 410may comprise a support ring 420 having a flange 447 extending from asupport surface 486 thereof. Flange 447 may facilitate attachment andalignment of bearing-element carrier members 424 with respect to supportring 420. For example, flange 447 may be disposed about an interiorportion of support ring 420. In additional examples, flange 447 may bedisposed about an outer peripheral portion of support ring 420. Flange447 may extend to any suitable height from support surface 486, withoutlimitation. For example, in an embodiment shown in the cross-sectionalview of FIG. 13, flange 447 may have a height that is substantially thesame as a height of the bearing-element carrier members 424. In someembodiments, flange 447 may be integrally formed with support ring 420.Flange 447 may include an inner surface 422 defining an aperture 414that may receive a shaft (e.g., a motor shaft) or other suitableelement. Aperture 414 may be generally centered about a central axis412.

Each bearing-element carrier member 424 may have a mounting surface 488,an inner surface 482, an outer surface 480, a top surface 490, and sidesurfaces 484. Mounting surfaces 488 of bearing-element carrier members424 may be mounted and/or coupled to a support surface 486 of a supportring 420. Bearing-element carrier members 424 may be arrangedcircumferentially around central axis 412. The side surfaces 484 ofbearing-element carrier members 424 may each abut a side surface 484 ofan adjacent bearing-element carrier member 424. Inner surface 482 ofeach bearing-element carrier member 424 may have any suitable shape,including, for example, a partial-toroidal shape or other suitable shapethat abuts and/or conforms to an adjacent surface of flange 477.Additionally, outer surface 480 of each bearing-element carrier member424 may have any suitable shape, including, for example, apartial-toroidal shape that generally matches a contour of an outerperipheral surface portion of support ring 420. Additionally, eachbearing-element carrier member 424 may be attached to support ring 420by fasteners (e.g., screws, rivets, pins, or bolts) extending throughholes 428, and/or by any other suitable manner of attachment (e.g.,welding, mechanically capturing, brazing, etc.), without limitation.

FIG. 14 illustrates a thrust-bearing assembly 510 according to someembodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 14, a plurality of bearing-elementcarrier members 524 may be mounted and/or coupled to a support ring 520.Each bearing-element carrier member 524 may be configured to holdmultiple superhard bearing elements 30. Bearing-element carrier members524 may be arranged on mounting surface 586 of support ring 520 in agenerally circular configuration around central axis 512.

Each bearing-element carrier member 524 may have a mounting surface 588,an inner surface 582, an outer surface 580, a top surface 590, and sidesurfaces 584. Mounting surfaces 588 of bearing-element carrier members524 may be mounted and/or coupled to support surface 586 of a supportring 520. Support ring 520 and bearing-element carrier members 524 maybe arranged circumferentially around a central axis 512. The sidesurfaces 584 of bearing-element carrier members 524 may each abut a sidesurface 584 of an adjacent bearing-element carrier member 524. Each ofinner surface 582 and outer surface 580 of each bearing-element carriermember 524 may have any suitable shape, including, for example, apartial-toroidal shape that generally matches contours of an adjacentinner surface portion and/or outer peripheral surface portion of supportring 520. Additionally, each bearing-element carrier member 524 may beattached to support ring 520 by fasteners (e.g., screws, rivets, pins,or bolts) extending through holes 528, and/or by any other suitablemanner of attachment (e.g., welding, mechanically capturing, brazing,etc.), without limitation.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate radial-bearing assemblies according to atcertain embodiments. The radial-bearing assembly illustrated in FIG. 15may comprise, for example, an outer race 610 of a radial-bearingapparatus. Outer race 610 may include an outer radial support ring 620having a support surface 671. A plurality of bearing-element carriermembers 624 holding superhard bearing elements 630 a having superhardbearing surfaces 634 a may be coupled to radial support ring 620 ofouter race 610. Superhard bearing surfaces 634 a may each comprise anysuitable surface shape, such as, for example, a concave surface and/or agenerally planar surface shape. Bearing-element carrier members 624 andouter radial support ring 620 may be generally centered about a centralaxis 612.

Bearing-element carrier members 624 may be mounted and/or coupled toouter radial support ring 620 in any suitable manner (see, e.g., FIGS.1-4). In some embodiments, bearing-element carrier members 624 may beattached to support surface 671 of outer radial support ring 620 bymechanical fastening, by bonding, by frictional engagement, by threadedattachment, and/or by any other suitable manner of attachment, withoutlimitation. For example, fasteners (e.g., screws, rivets, pins, orbolts) may extend through fastener holes 628 defined in bearing-elementcarrier members 624 and at least partially into corresponding holesdefined in outer radial support ring 620. In some embodiments, fastenersmay extend through holes defined in outer radial support ring 620 and atleast partially into corresponding holes defined in bearing-elementcarrier members 624. Bearing-element carrier members 624 may also bebonded to outer radial support ring 620 through brazing, welding,adhesive bonding, and/or any other suitable bonding technique.

Each bearing-element carrier member 624 may have side surfaces 670, aninner surface 672, and a mounting surface 674, which is in contact withsupport surface 671 of outer radial support ring 620. At least onesuperhard bearing element 630 a may partially protrude from innersurface 672 of each bearing-element carrier member 624. Mounting surface674 of each bearing-element carrier member 624 may have any suitableshape, without limitation. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, mountingsurfaces 674 may each have a partial-toroidal shape corresponding to anadjacent portion of support surface 671 of outer radial support ring620. Inner surfaces 672 of bearing-element carrier members 624 may alsoeach comprise any suitable surface shape, including, for example, apartial-toroidal shape.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, a radial bearing assembly comprising an innerrace 611 may include an inner radial support ring 660 and a plurality ofbearing-element carrier members 650 coupled to inner radial support ring660. Bearing-element carrier members 650 may each contain at least onesuperhard bearing element 630 b having a superhard bearing surface 634b. Superhard bearing surfaces 634 b may each comprise any suitablesurface shape, such as, for example, a convex surface and/or a generallyplanar surface shape. Bearing-element carrier members 650 and outerradial support ring 620 may be generally centered about central axis612.

Bearing-element carrier members 650 may be coupled to inner radialsupport ring 660 in any suitable manner. In some embodiments,bearing-element carrier members 650 may be attached to a support surface680 of inner radial support ring 660 by mechanical fastening, bybonding, by frictional engagement, by threaded attachment, and/or by anyother suitable manner of attachment, without limitation. For example,fasteners may extend through fastener holes 679 defined inbearing-element carrier members 650 and at least partially intocorresponding holes defined in inner radial support ring 660. In someembodiments, fasteners may extend through holes defined in inner radialsupport ring 660 and at least partially into corresponding holes definedin bearing-element carrier members 650. Bearing-element carrier members650 may also be bonded to inner radial support ring 660 through brazing,welding, adhesive bonding, and/or any other suitable bonding technique.

Each bearing-element carrier member 650 may have side surfaces 676, anouter surface 678, and a mounting surface 681, which is in contact withsupport surface 680 of inner radial support ring 660. At least onesuperhard bearing element 630 b may partially protrude from outersurface 678 of each bearing-element carrier member 650. Mounting surface681 of each bearing-element carrier member 650 may have any suitableshape, without limitation. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, mountingsurfaces 681 may each have a partial-toroidal shape corresponding to anadjacent portion of support surface 680 of inner radial support ring660. Outer surfaces 678 of bearing-element carrier members 650 may alsoeach comprise any suitable surface shape, including, for example, apartial-toroidal shape.

Either of outer race 610 and inner race 611 may be configured as a rotoror a stator, respectively. If, for example, inner race 611 is configuredto remain stationary, inner race 611 may be referred to as the statorand the outer race 610 may be referred to as the rotor that rotatesabout central axis 612.

Any of the previously described thrust-bearing assemblies and radialbearing assemblies may be used in a bearing apparatus that employs twobearing assemblies, at least one of which may be configured as any ofthe previously described bearing assemblies. FIG. 17 is a perspectiveview of a rotating apparatus 700 according to at least one embodiment.In the illustrated rotating apparatus 700, two thrust bearing assemblies710 a and 710 b (see, e.g., FIGS. 1-14) may be employed together as arotor and a stator. Any of the thrust bearing assemblies or radialbearing assemblies disclosed herein may be used in rotating apparatus700, without limitation.

According to an embodiment, thrust-bearing assembly 710 a may act as arotor. Thrust-bearing assembly 710 a may be attached to and rotate witha shaft 702. Shaft 702 may be operably coupled to a motor or any otherapparatus capable of rotating shaft 702 in a counter clockwise orclockwise direction around a central axis 712. The thrust-bearingassembly 710 a may be coupled to shaft 702 through press-fitting and/orany by other suitable manner of connection, without limitation.Thrust-bearing assembly 710 b, which is not connected to shaft 702, mayfunction as a stator that remains stationary while thrust-bearingassembly 710 a rotates. Bearing surfaces 734 a of rotor-side superhardbearing elements 730 a may oppose and bear against bearing surfaces 734b of stator-side superhard bearing elements 730 b.

FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of an exemplarysubterranean drilling system 801 that includes a rotating apparatus 700,as shown in FIG. 17, according to at least one embodiment. Thesubterranean drilling system 801 may include a housing 802 enclosing adownhole drilling motor 806 (i.e., a motor, turbine, or any othersuitable device capable of rotating an output shaft, without limitation)that is operably connected to an output shaft 808.

The rotating apparatus 700 shown in FIG. 17 may be operably coupled todownhole drilling motor 806. A rotary drill bit 804, such as a rotarydrill bit configured to engage a subterranean formation and drill aborehole, may be connected to output shaft 808. As illustrated in FIG.18, rotary drill bit 804 may be a roller cone bit comprising a pluralityof roller cones 860. According to additional embodiments, rotary drillbit 804 may comprise any suitable type of rotary drill bit, such as, forexample, a so-called fixed-cutter drill bit. As a borehole is drilledusing rotary drill bit 804, pipe sections may be connected tosubterranean drilling system 810 to form a drill string capable ofprogressively drilling the borehole to a greater depth within asubterranean formation. Any of the thrust-bearing assemblies or radialbearing assemblies disclosed herein may be used in subterranean drillingsystem 801, without limitation.

A thrust-bearing assembly 710 a in rotating 700 may be configured as arotor that is attached to output shaft 808 and a thrust-bearing assembly710 b in rotating apparatus 700 may be configured as a stator. During adrilling operation using subterranean drilling system 801, the rotor mayrotate in conjunction with output shaft 808 and the stator may remainsubstantially stationary relative to the rotor.

According to various embodiments, drilling fluid may be circulatedthrough downhole drilling motor 806 to generate torque and effectrotation of output shaft 808 and rotary drill bit 804 attached theretoso that a borehole may be drilled. A portion of the drilling fluid mayalso be used to lubricate opposing bearing surfaces of superabrasiveelements (e.g., superhard bearing elements 730 a and 730 b) onthrust-bearing assemblies 710 a and 710 b.

FIG. 19 illustrates an exemplary method 1000 for assembling a bearingassembly according to at least one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 19, atleast one superhard bearing element may be attached to each of aplurality of bearing-element carrier members (process 1002). Forexample, each of a plurality of bearing-element carrier members 24illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 may be configured to receive multiple superhardbearing elements 30 that may be positioned in bearing-element recesses42 of bearing-element carrier members 24. Superhard bearing elements 30may each be inserted into a bearing-element recess 42 such that asubstrate 38 of the superhard bearing element 30 is surrounded by thebearing-element recess 42 and such that a superhard table 36 attached tothe substrate 38 at least partially extends above a top surface 90 ofthe bearing-element carrier member 24. Each superhard bearing element 30may be fixedly secured within the bearing-element recess 42 of thebearing-element carrier member 24 through, for example, brazing,press-fitting, threaded attachment, and/or by any other suitable mannerof attachment, without limitation.

The plurality of bearing-element carrier members may be coupled to asupport surface of a support ring (process 1004). For example, theplurality of bearing-element carrier members 24 may be mounted and/orcoupled to support surface 86 of support ring 20. The plurality ofbearing-element carrier members 24 may be attached to support surface 86of support ring 20 by fasteners (e.g., screws, rivets, pins, or bolts)and/or by any other suitable manner of attachment (e.g., welding,mechanically capturing, brazing, etc.), without limitation. In at leastone embodiment, bearing-element carrier members 24 may be attached tosupport ring 20 by a plurality of fasteners 44 extending throughfastener holes 28 defined in bearing-element carrier members 24 tocorresponding holes defined in support ring 20.

According to some embodiments, at least one of the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members may be replaced by removing the at leastone bearing-element carrier member and coupling a replacementbearing-element carrier member to the support surface of the supportring. For example, a worn or damaged superhard bearing element 30 orbearing-element carrier member 24 may be replaced by removing fasteners44 securing bearing-element carrier members 24 to support ring 20. A newor refurbished bearing element 30 or bearing-element carrier member 24may then be coupled to support ring 20.

In at least one embodiment, the at least one superhard bearing elementmay be attached to each of the plurality of bearing-element carriermembers by brazing the at least one superhard bearing element to each ofthe plurality of bearing-element carrier members. For example, superhardbearing elements 30 may be positioned in bearing-element recesses 42 ofbearing-element carrier members 24 by brazing prior to couplingbearing-element carrier members 24 to support ring 20.

The preceding description has been provided to enable others skilled inthe art to best utilize various aspects of the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein. This exemplary description is not intended to beexhaustive or to be limited to any precise form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations are possible without departing from thespirit and scope of the instant disclosure. It is desired that theembodiments described herein be considered in all respects illustrativeand not restrictive and that reference be made to the appended claimsand their equivalents for determining the scope of the instantdisclosure.

Unless otherwise noted, the terms “a” or “an,” as used in thespecification and claims, are to be construed as meaning “at least oneof.” In addition, for ease of use, the words “including” and “having,”as used in the specification and claims, are interchangeable with andhave the same meaning as the word “comprising.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A bearing assembly, comprising: a support ring; aplurality of bearing-element carrier members coupled to the supportring; a plurality of superhard bearing elements each having a lateralperiphery extending between a base and a superhard bearing surface,wherein at least one superhard bearing element of the plurality ofsuperhard bearing elements is attached to each of the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members.
 2. The bearing assembly of claim 1,wherein the plurality of bearing-element carrier members aremechanically fastened to the support ring.
 3. The bearing assembly ofclaim 2, wherein each bearing element carrier member exhibits a partialtoroidal shape.
 4. The bearing assembly of claim 3, wherein each of theplurality of fasteners extends through an opening defined in acorresponding one of the plurality of bearing-element carrier members.5. The bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members are bonded to the support ring.
 6. Thebearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bearing-elementcarrier members are distributed circumferentially about a central axis.7. The bearing assembly of claim 6, wherein: the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members are coupled to a support surface of thesupport ring; the support surface of the support ring faces parallel tothe central axis or is oriented either radially inward or radiallyoutward relative to the central axis.
 8. The bearing assembly of claim1, wherein the bearing assembly is a thrust bearing assembly or a radialbearing assembly.
 9. The bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein each ofthe plurality of bearing-element carrier members abuts an adjacent oneof the plurality of bearing-element carrier members.
 10. The bearingassembly of claim 1, wherein the support ring comprises a continuousring.
 11. The bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofsuperhard bearing elements are each attached within a bearing-elementrecess defined in a corresponding bearing-element carrier member of theplurality of the plurality of bearing-element carrier members.
 12. Thebearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one superhard bearingelement comprises a polycrystalline diamond table.
 13. The bearingassembly of claim 12, wherein the polycrystalline diamond table isbonded to a substrate.
 14. The bearing assembly of claim 12, wherein thepolycrystalline diamond table is at least partially leached.
 15. Abearing apparatus, comprising: a rotor; a stator; wherein at least oneof the rotor and the stator includes: a support ring; a plurality ofbearing-element carrier members coupled to the support ring; a pluralityof superhard bearing elements each having a lateral periphery extendingbetween a base and a superhard bearing surface, wherein at least onesuperhard bearing element of the plurality of superhard bearing elementsis attached to each of the plurality of bearing-element carrier members.16. The bearing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the stator, the rotor,and the plurality of superhard bearing elements form at least part of athrust-bearing apparatus.
 17. The bearing apparatus of claim 15, whereinthe stator, the rotor, and the plurality of superhard bearing elementsform at least part of a radial-bearing apparatus.
 18. A method forassembling a bearing assembly, comprising: attaching at least onesuperhard bearing element to each of a plurality of bearing-elementcarrier members; coupling the plurality of bearing-element carriermembers to a support ring.
 19. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising replacing at least one of the plurality of bearing-elementcarrier members by removing the at least one bearing-element carriermember and coupling a replacement bearing-element carrier member to thesupport ring.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein attaching the at leastone superhard bearing element to each of the plurality ofbearing-element carrier members may comprise brazing the at least onesuperhard bearing element to each of the plurality of bearing-elementcarrier members.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein coupling theplurality of bearing-element carrier members to the support ringcomprises coupling the plurality of bearing-element carrier members tothe support ring without heating the support ring.